Keeping the Cold at Bay
by knightshade
Summary: Luke and Chewie have dinner with Han, Leia, and Ben but Luke is troubled by disturbing visions. Pre-TFA. I just wanted to get to see them happy (for the most part).


Title: Keeping the Cold at Bay

Author: knightshade

Rating: G

Summary: Luke and Chewie have dinner with Han, Leia, and Ben but Luke is troubled by disturbing visions.

Disclaimers: Own them, I do not. It is Disney you seek.

Author's Notes: We never got to see them happy. I wanted to see them happy - at least for a little while.

 **Keeping the Cold at Bay**

Luke knocked sharply on the door to Han and Leia's quarters and heard a muffled shriek that sounded like, "They're here!"

He glanced at Chewbacca. "Prepare for the onslaught," he said with a smile.

Chewie gave a rumbling chuckle as the door slid open and a four year old dust storm whirled through it and buried itself against Chewie's leg, practically disappearing into his fur. Then the twister said, "Hi Uncle Luke!" and threw himself at Luke, dropping a toy x-wing to the floor as he threw his arms around Luke's waist. Luke hoisted Ben up onto his shoulders.

"My X-wing!" he called, spotting it on the floor. Luke indulged in a little bit of showing off for his nephew and levitated the toy up to Ben. He glanced into the quarters and then entered, careful to duck down with Ben on his shoulders. Ben laughed when Chewbacca had to do the same.

Han was waiting in the main room, grinning with his arms crossed. "Hey, kid! I see you survived the welcoming committee."

"I've met worse welcoming committees," Luke said, accepting the clap on the back from Han.

"You and me both," Han said and then glanced toward Chewbacca. "Hey, Chewie. Glad you could join us."

Chewie nodded his greeting and then wandered into the kitchen. Luke closed his eyes and took in the warm, spicy smell permeating the room. He saw Leia in the kitchen, standing over a pot on the stove. He leaned against the doorway as Leia give Chewie a quick hug.

Then she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Hi Luke."

Luke levitated Ben to the ground where he ran off with his toy, pretending to fly it through the air around him. "Hi Leia." He hugged her and then glanced into the pot. "You didn't need to go to any trouble."

"Oh, it's no trouble, I like cooking for grown ups. 'Trouble' is cooking for a 4 year old who'll only eat fried gondar and tubar chips."

Chewie barked and peered into the pot.

"Banok meat stew," Leia answered.

Chewie let out a mournful whine that made Leia laugh. "I left some raw for you."

Chewie gave three sharp happy barks and engulfed Leia in a giant bear hug. She disappeared into his coat almost as completely as her son had earlier. Luke felt the warm, glowing waves of the Force radiating from them. They had always had a much deeper bond than was obvious to most people. They both loved Han, they both swore an oath to him, and they had both nearly lost him. There was a deep connectedness, respect, and love there. Luke was basking in that warmth when a sudden chill caught him off guard. It was something he'd been experiencing on and off recently and it perplexed him. He wondered if it was what Obi Wan and Yoda had called a disturbance in the Force. In a moment it was gone and Luke shook it off.

"We're just about ready to eat," Leia said.

"Can I help?" Han asked, stepping into the kitchen with them.

Leia rolled her eyes affectionately. "Typical. He waits until all the work is done, and _then_ he volunteers to pitch in."

Han shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, I can't help it, I've got great timing."

He came up behind her and draped his arm over her shoulder, his hand resting lightly on her neck. It made Luke smile. Han often engaged in what was probably subconscious territory marking. Little possessive touches that seemed to say, 'Back off, kid, she's mine.' Luke assumed it was an ingrained habit - Han was just as possessive of the _Falcon_ \- or a throwback to their early days together. But given the familial situation, it made him want to laugh every time.

Leia pointed her ladle at Han. "You can gather the bowls and serve the stew, and after that you can pour the wine."

He turned to Luke. "This is what it's like living with a princess," he said. Then he gave Leia an exaggerated bow and held out his arm. "It will be done, Your Worship, but first allow me to escort you to your seat."

Leia gave him a sidelong glance before giving into his false formality and mocking title and allowing him to 'escort' her to the table. There was a clatter and Han returned with the bowls and started serving. "Ben," he called. "Time for dinner."

"But Daddy, the Jedi are fighting the stormtroopers and if they stop now, the stormtroopers might win."

"It's a risk they're just going to have to take."

"But Daddy…"

Han looked at Luke. "Got any Jedi parlor tricks to get a kid to come to the table?"

"Sure."

Luke searched Ben's room with his mind and located his Jedi and stormtrooper figures. He picked them up and continued their battle in the air, having the Jedi advance on the stormtroopers. The stormtroopers retreated into the dining room and continued their battle over the table. Ben followed, mesmerized, and took his seat, staring up at the fighting toys.

"Not bad," Han said, pouring Luke a glass of wine.

Then Luke froze the toys in place. "The battle will continue later," he said.

"Awww." Ben looked down at his bowl. "Banok stew, I don't like Banok stew."

Leia sighed, clearly having fought this battle and lost too many times to engage again.

"You have to at least try it," Han said venturing into the no man's land.

Chewie, who was in the chair next to Ben, picked up a fork and stabbed the meat in Ben's bowl. He then aimed it at Ben's mouth, stopping just in front of his lips. Ben giggled and clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Are you really going to disobey a Wookiee, kiddo?" Han asked pointedly. "I thought you had more sense than that."

Chewie tilted his head to the side and let out a low growl. Ben giggled again and opened his mouth. Chewie wasted no time in landing the ship in the hangar. Ben chewed the meat with a pained look on his face.

Luke raised his glass. "To being together as a family," he said simply. They all raised their glasses and Luke noticed that Leia's smile was bittersweet. He knew things had been hard for her the past year. Han and Chewie had been halfway across the galaxy most of the time, trying to find and disarm the rogue bands of stormtroopers who refused to join the new Republic. Even he had been busy setting up his new Jedi school. Leia and Ben had been alone a lot.

Leia caught Luke contemplating her so he quickly picked up his fork and tested the banok meat. The stew was hearty, spicy, and warm - the perfect meal for their cozy get together. Chewie happily ate his raw meat and Ben ate a couple bites on his own before chasing the pieces of banok around his bowl.

Luke was happy here, with his family. He enjoyed watching Han, Leia, and Ben. He enjoyed the warmth and love of their home. He often wondered why the Jedi of old had forsaken this. Why had they made a family off limits? He just couldn't see how being a hermit was healthy.

After dinner, they all helped clean up and Leia took Ben to his room to get ready for bed. Han, Chewie, and Luke sat in the living room. Han poured them each another glass of wine and kicked back on the couch, his ankle perched on his opposite knee. "So how goes the school, Luke?"

"Good. We broke ground on the faculty building last week."

"Faculty?" Han laughed. "Isn't that just you?"

Luke let his eyes flicker toward the closed door to Ben's room. "Well, for now."

"Ah, don't get your hopes up there," Han said quietly. "She isn't interested."

"I don't understand why," Luke said. "She's strong in the Force. I could train her."

Han shrugged. "It's just not what she sees for herself, I guess. You're welcome to keep asking, but I've worn out my welcome on it."

It was a pity. Luke didn't understand Leia's reluctance to learn about the Force, but he knew he couldn't compel her if she wasn't willing. "What about Ben?" he asked. "I'd really like him to be one of the first students."

Han leaned forward. "That she's more open to, but we haven't made a decision yet. If you ask me, it would help. I'm out in the far reaches of the galaxy half the time. She's spending a lot of time raising him herself. I think it would help if she could take a more active role in setting up the Republic. But we'll see. You haven't even finished building the school yet."

Luke rested back in his chair. "What about you two? How goes the quest to rid the galaxy of rogue former stormtroopers?"

Han glanced at Chewie who nodded slightly. "A little disturbing actually. For as many as we find and bring in there seem to be more and more." Then he leaned forward and lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "And they aren't all clones anymore."

"What?" Luke whispered back.

"They aren't all clones. We're finding more and more who don't look like your typical stormtroopers."

"You think they're recruiting from local populations?" Luke asked.

"They must be. But so far none of them are talking so we don't really know."

That was certainly disturbing news. Luke couldn't understand anyone willingly joining the stormtroopers. As he was mulling that over, the door to Ben's room opened and Leia emerged. She poured herself a glass of wine and joined Han on the couch resting against his shoulder. "So have you guys solved all the galaxy's problems yet?" she teased.

"Nah, we left some for you," Han bantered back and Chewie chuckled.

"How thoughtful." It was punctuated with another affectionate eye roll.

Luke was about to ask her what she thought of the plans for the new Senate when he was hit with what felt like a Hoth-cold blast of air and the flicker of a dark image. Something cavernous. Something black and evil. Something burning like fire. Someone … he _knew_. It was there and then in an instant, it was gone. Luke thought it might be his fight with Vader on Bespin, but something didn't feel quite right about that. He attempted to shake it off and looked up. Leia was eying him oddly. "Are you ok?" she asked.

Luke nodded. "I'm fine," he said, again struck by how strong the Force was with her. She could read people without even realizing she was doing it. That's where her strength in the Force lie. It probably wouldn't take much training at all for her to influence someone's mind. In fact, Luke had convinced himself that sometimes when she gave commands or was particularly emphatic about her positions she was probably giving people a Jedi mind push. She was very receptive to others' feelings too. Or at least she was with him. Maybe it was partly that they were siblings, and twins at that, but he was sure there was an element of the Force there too.

She was still studying him so he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine," he repeated.

She nodded and let it drop, but Luke was still troubled. Where were these disturbances coming from? What did they mean? He would have to take some time to meditate on it and see if he couldn't better understand what he was seeing. He put it aside, determined to enjoy the time he had with his family before they scattered across the galaxy again.

They talked for a while and then Leia yawned and stood up. "Ben will be up early," she said, then leaned over to give Luke a peck on the cheek. She tried to give Chewie a quick embrace but was wrestled into another bear hug instead. She untangled herself and then Luke and Chewbacca stood to take their leave.

"You're welcomed to stay," Leia said, but she looked weary and Luke knew that she and Han didn't get much time alone together anymore.

"We have more wine," Han added.

"Nah, it's time to go," Luke said.

"Your loss." Han clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't be a stranger."

"I won't," Luke said, knowing that it was Han and Chewie who would be making themselves strangers in a week or two.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning to get those converter coils installed," Han said to Chewie who barked his agreement. Then he and Leia showed them out.

Luke and Chewie walked down the corridor together until they needed to part ways, Chewie to the _Millennium Falcon_ , Luke to his speeder to head back to the school. "Take care of yourself, Chewie," Luke said giving Chewbacca's arm a light squeeze. Chewie tilted his head and looked at him before letting out a low keen. Maybe it wasn't that Leia was strong in the Force, maybe he was just bad at keeping things to himself. "I'm fine Chewbacca. See you soon."

They parted and Luke headed down the corridor alone, mulling over his vision, wondering what it could possibly mean. He had the bad feeling that there was something brewing out there in the galaxy, he just didn't know what. Luke hoped that whatever was bothering him wouldn't affect his family and made a silent vow to do whatever he could to protect them. The thought brought him a sense of peace and warmth that filled him and bolstered his spirits.

He just hoped it would be enough to keep the cold and the darkness at bay.

-knightshade

June 7, 2016


End file.
